ASLA is closely reviewing new federal efforts to cap student loans, an issue that could affect access to landscape architecture education nationwide. A provision in H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill”) would limit annual federal loans for new graduate student loan borrowers to $20,500, with a $100,000 aggregate cap. A higher tier—$50,000 annually and $200,000 total—would be available only to students enrolled in federally designated “professional degree” programs. The bill names ten such fields that were codified as professional under the Higher Education Act, including medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, and theology. Landscape architecture, architecture, engineering, and other design professions were not included in this definition nor in the H.R. 1 provision.  

To implement the legislation, the Department of Education convened a new Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee to negotiate how these caps should be applied. After meeting in September and November, the committee released recommendations that reaffirm the original list of ten “professional degrees” and add only one additional field—clinical psychology. The Department has said it will now begin drafting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which will open for public comment in early 2026.

 ASLA is coordinating with allied organizations and other partners to ensure that landscape architecture’s advanced graduate programs are fully understood and considered as the rulemaking process moves forward. Once the NPRM is released, ASLA will provide guidance for members and prepare formal comments to the Department of Education. ASLA’s goal is to help protect access and affordability for future landscape architects and to ensure that federal student loan policy reflects the critical role the profession plays in protecting the public’s health, safety, and well-being.